Future Glory – Final Part of a Sermon on John 2

I am deliberately going to break every rule of exegesis and take a verse wholly out of context hear because I believe the balance of scripture tells us that God always keeps the best wine till last

Its a Glory that improves with age…its like wine we can taste.

Jesus first miracle water to wine. That wine speaks of joy. One way tap into joy=== holys spirit peace and joy in the Spirit

George Whitefield as he preached on this miracle. “Whilst I am thinking, and only speaking of those things unto you, I am almost carried beyond myself. Methinks, I now receive some little foretastes of that new wine which I hope to drink with you in the heavenly kingdom for ever and ever.”

Why be nostalgic for the days of Whitefield? Why not drink the same spiritual wine he did and see the glory of God right here right now? BE not Drunk with wine be FILLED with the Spirit!

John 7:37-39 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ”Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Jesus glorification in John is shorthanded for his death. resurrection and ascension. Because Jesus has now been glorified, the Spirit has now been given, and will never be taken away!

If you will walk with God, he isn’t finished with you yet.

The world seems to offer young people a better ride…tho even in the short term the consequences hurt. But the older we get the bigger gap there is. Many Christian speak of a sweeter more intimate sense of Gods presence as they get older.

God wants to take you to the next level today. And take you today from one degree of glory to another there is more than you have know so far!

2 Corinthians 3:8 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.”

What level are you at? —–>Have you believed in this Jesus as the disciples did? If not you can today ——>Having believed have you tasted of his goodness experientially and Been overwhelmed by been immersed in his Spirit?

——->As we heard a few weeks back, are you ankle deep, in which case you can come in deeper to the river of Gods blessing

Have you been facing difficulties? Or feel God is distant. Maybe your joy, like the wine in this story has run out! He is here. He has now been glorified so his Spirit HAS been poured out, and we can ALL receive a fresh touch from him this morning.

But is also a future glory because at the end it is an eternal glory

This glory is always works not just in past or present. It is drawing us to our eternal home. Then there will be no more hidden glory, only revealed glory, but we will never exhaust the depths of Jesus glory!

We must always have the future in mind. The end goal is not in this earth its to be with the Father the Son and the Spirit. The mystery is we will experience a Glorification. This world is not everything. There is a Better place. No matter what you go thru Jesus saves the best to last. Therefore don’t give up. In the meantime one degree to another but it can be seasons of much pain

Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but qbecause of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God

Goes on to promise that those who God has saved he also glorified! We are already and will be glorified!

Just as Jesus was glorified only thru death and then resurrection, so our glory comes through our being emptied “they have no wine” then filled through suffering then healing, through pain then deliverance, through persecution then the acceptance of Jesus, and ultimately also for us through death and resurrection.

Because of this glorious future, we can expect more of him today hope for tomorrow truth joy to explore

When we see heaven it should fill us with hope so we are able to live with joy now so we see what is ahead. this world is not heaven now. If God is going to bless us so wonderfully in the future, why shouldn’t he bless us now?

Something of Heaven’s glory and power breaking thru in the here and now!

More you connect with Spirit more you walk in and enjoy the glory of the one, and the more you experience the deposit which guarantees the glory which is to come.

John 17:22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world”

If you need Gods glory in your life this story tells us how… In reverse, we need the hope for an optimistic future, instead of looking back to a golden age, looking forward to née blessings God will bring us even in this life, We need to determine to just do what he tells us, and we must pray the glorious future into our present.

Let the powers of the age to come, break through today! may Jesus hidden kingdom be made manifest.